Bracelet Buddies
by Angst lover
Summary: (Imagine person A making person B a friendship bracelet, expecting person B to never wear it, but when it's given to them, person B puts it on and is rarely seen with it off.) "Look, see?" He stood to the young lawyers left side slightly and placed their arms next to each other. "Bracelet buddies." Phoenix gave a cheeky grin and Apollo held back a snort.


(A/N):WOW IT'S BEEN A WHILE  
This was meant to be a short thing, and it turned into nearly 8,000 words. It was also suppossed to be sweet and adorable, and it is at times! _At times._  
I actually have been writing like crazy lately, so lets see if I can be good and get stuff up  
**Warnings: (T+)** I did edit this, but parts may be off. Boy lovin, blood, ssssemi-graphic?, I use medical jargon and I hope I didn't screw it up, I am still as cheesy as always so there's that  
do enjoy! Sorry I am so sporadic. I hope to write lots of stories for lots of pairings soon!  
ConCrit welcome~

* * *

"Trucy this is-"

"If you call this dumb you'll be in for it."

Apollo shut up at that and looked down at his creation.

It was….a bracelet. One of those bracelets you taped the top to the table and braided it (or tried to) and if you were _extra_ out going you would try to braid it in some intricate way and add beads. He had been duped into making some with Trucy after she got home from school with a bunch of leftover material from her art class. Apollo questioned why a sophomore in a high school art class would be making something you made during summer camp when you were in elementary school, but he digressed.

Currently he had just finished his first one and it was _terrible_. He had been lazy about braiding it and so parts of it were nicely threaded while others were loose and twisted. Good thing he had used bright yellow and neon orange for the colors. He huffed.

"Trucy can we do something else?"

"Awwww but _Polly! _This is so fun!" She grinned out as she held up three new bracelets. All of them were perfectly made and the colors matched and Apollo couldn't be feeling inadequate over something like this.

"I was never really good at this stuff during school…"

"You just gotta practice!"

"But it's not like I'm going to even _wear_ it." He sighed as he leaned back to stretch. Trucy gave a pout before throwing the three freshly made bracelets into her growing pile.

"Then _don't _make one for you; make one for someone else!"

Apollo raised an eyebrow at her.

"I can't think of anyone who would wear it or want it"

"Polly." Trucy started, sounding like she was explaining something so obvious that she couldn't believe she even _had_ to explain it. "You don't make it for them to _wear_. You make it for them to have and to hold. It shows that you thought about them and put the time and effort into making something for them! Of course they'll want it! Sometimes they even will wear it for a few days before placing it in a safe spot to keep forever." She smiled. "At least, that's what I do with mine."

"Ah."

Apollo…supposed she was right. Yet, still; most of his friends were in their twenties and what twenty-something year old would want a friendship bracelet from a fellow twenty-something year old?

"Augh! C'mon Polly!" Trucy finally groaned out in frustration. "Just…stop thinking and make one!"

He gave her a small glare and looked over their materials.

"I don't know who to make one for." He grumbled out finally. He couldn't pick any certain friend to give it to.

"How about…" Trucy tapped her chin in thought for a few moments before snapping her fingers as a thought came to her. "Make one for Daddy!"

"Huh?" Apollo replied just as fast to her suggestion.

"You know, Daddy! Make one for Daddy!" Trucy nodded excitedly to herself. "_Ohhhhh Polly! _I bet he would love it! You can give to him as a gift for getting his badge back and clearing his name!"

"Trucy he's had his badge back for _almost _a year now."

"So? I don't remember you getting him anything when he did." Apollo felt himself heat up at the accusation.

"Hey! I paid for dinner!"

"So?"

"For _all of us_." All of us had included Trucy, Phoenix, Klavier, Ema, and even a few of Phoenix's old friends. And himself, of course.

"It's the little things you know!" Trucy jabbed a finger in his direction. "It's the little things people keep around and hold close when you aren't there!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Apollo asked indignantly. Trucy just stared into his eyes for a moment before shaking her head.

"You could make one for any one! Daddy, or me, or Ema or even Klavier!" She grinned. "Although, I dunno how giving your so called enemy a friendship bracelet would look…" The young magician waggled her eyebrows at Apollo and he just rolled his eyes.

"I guess…." Apollo thought it over for a second; Mr. Wright seemed to be a good choice…at least the best out of all of them at this moment. "I'll make one for Mr. Wright."

Trucy let out a little squeal before scurrying around through their stash.

"Here—make another one to practice and then make Daddy's! You want it to be perfect!"

She threw a bunch of randomly colored plastic thread at him and continued on making a new one herself.

Apollo sighed.

"…Done!" He called out as he finished tying the knot and securing the bracelet.

His second attempt at making one of these things (while actually _trying_) had turned out much better than his first. This prompted Trucy to give him some much _nicer_ bracelet making material as he set off to work on his bracelet for Mr. Wright.

"Oh, oh—lemme see, lemme see!" She quickly scooted over and looked at Apollo's handiwork and gave a little gasp. "Oh Polly it's _perfect!_"

Apollo brought a hand through his hair and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Y-You really think so?"

"Yes of course! See—It's like, you get the blue for Daddy's suit and his hat, and also some pink for his tie—and then the red is like you!" She giggled out as she pointed out the colors. "It's like you two are intertwined! And you'll be intertwined forever because I'm sure Daddy's is gonna make sure to keep this safe forever!" She squealed.

Apollo felt himself flush at the comment and tried not to notice the way his stomach flopped—but only ever so slightly.

"W-what did you make?" Apollo questioned to try and change the topic. Trucy blinked before turning back and grabbing her final products.

"Ta-da!" She flashed him two more bracelets; one was green and pink and the other was black, purple, gold, and yellow. "It's for Ema and Klavier!"

"That's nice." Apollo gave a small smile at her efforts. It was nice that they were trying to include everyone. The energetic young girl nodded before snatching Apollo's bracelet right out of his hands.

"Hey!" He cried.

"I'm gonna make it so he can wear it if he wants!" She shushed him as she placed it down at her own work station. Apollo noticed how she tied the ends funny and then added some more string before handing it back to him. "Here we go! I think he should be back soon so you can give it to him."

"Alright." Apollo nodded before standing up and stretching. "Wanna start dinner then?"

Trucy nodded and bounced up after him.

* * *

The door to the Agency opened and shut right as Trucy was finishing setting their 'table' (and by table she meant the island that blocked off the kitchen from the living room—they had always treated it like their dining room table anyway and it worked just as well).

"Daddy!" Trucy called out as Phoenix threw his coat onto the coat rack and dropped his brief case and another large bag by the couch.

"Hey Truce." He gave her a tired smile and a hug. "What's for dinner?"

"Me and Polly made it! It's a surprise!" She held a finer up to her lips and gave him a wicked grin. He chuckled.

"It smells great."

"Thanks!" She bobbed up and down on the balls of her feet. "It'll be ready in about 20 minutes if you wanna get changed."

"That sounds perfect."

* * *

Phoenix let out a fully content sigh as he leaned back in his chair.

"That was amazing."

"Your welcome!" Trucy giggled and Phoenix gave a smile.

"Nice job Polly."

"Thanks Mr. Wright." Apollo gave him a small smile as he started to collect their dishes. "I'm not entirely sure there's dessert—"

"We have ice cream!"

"You ate that all the other day." Apollo pointed out as he dumped the plates into the sink. Trucy pouted and Phoenix just shook his head. Apollo returned a moment later and sat back down on his stool next to Trucy.

"Oh! Daddy! I wanna show you something!" Trucy hopped off her stool and ran into the other room. Apollo and Phoenix just chuckled as they watch her search around the living room.

"Thanks for the meal Polly."

"Anytime Mr. Wright."

Phoenix gave Apollo a warm smile and Apollo felt himself heat up. _Speaking_ of showing him something, he still had to give Mr. Wright his gift. The image of the bracelet—small, brightly colored something a small child would make someone — flashed through his mind. The thought left Apollo feeling quite dumb and embarrassed and he decided against giving it.

"Look!" Trucy roamed back in and shoved a piece of paper into her dads face. "I got on the honor roll!"

Phoenix quietly glanced over her grades before a large grin spread over his face.

"Congratulations!" He got up and gave her a big hug, twirling her around.

"Yeah! Too bad we don't have anything to celebrate with…" She pouted and looked over towards Apollo.

"H-Hey! _Who _was the one who finished off the ice cream when they were watching TV all night?"

"I may have something…" Phoenix started and noticed how the other two gave him their full attention. "Someone tried to pay me back with sweets, and well…" He gestured over toward the large bag he had dropped earlier. "Congrats Trucy-doll."

"Huray!" She jumped up in victory. "Let's celebrate!"

* * *

They were all squished together on the couch, this time with Phoenix sitting in the middle, enjoying the free sweets and baked goods and watching a lame movie on TV.

Apollo noticed how Phoenix had tentatively allowed more contact between them, their sides now pressed against each other, and found himself in an odd state of comfort and nervousness.

"That movie was so _dumb_." Apollo pointed out as the credits started rolling.

"That's what makes it so _great_." Phoenix pointed out right back and Trucy nodded in agreement. Apollo just shook his head and leaned back into his seat. They all sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, just enjoying each other's company, before Trucy let out a yawn.

"I guess that means I'll get going."

"Awwww but Polly—"

"And you need to go to bed." Apollo cut her off as he got off the couch and stretched. As soon as he got up he missed the warmth and contact of the other, shaking his head to try and help clear his mind. "You wanna stay on honor roll so you need your rest."

"Alright _Mom_." Trucy replied sarcastically only to have Apollo and Phoenix sputter. Apollo was surprised as he looked at Phoenix and saw a light tinge to his cheeks. _Do it now, give him that thing now—_

"Ahhh, Mr. Wright?"

As soon as he said it he regretted it and it was too late to back out. Phoenix looked up at him curiously.

"Yes?"

"Ahhh…Nevermind it's nothing." Apollo chuckled out nervously and turned around to go to his desk and grab his things.

"Now I wanna know." Phoenix called out to him with a smirk on his face. "You have to tell me. You brought it up."

Apollo shuffled from foot to foot before sighing in defeat. He walked back and stood in front of Phoenix, timidly passing him the bracelet.

"M-Me and Trucy made these earlier. Here." Apollo stood there feeling out of place, waiting for confirmation of the gift. Phoenix was extremely surprised as he looked over the thing, passing it through his fingers and flipping it over this way and that.

"Apollo—"Phoenix started only to cut himself off by chuckling. "Apollo this is very sweet. Thank you." He smiled sincerely up at the younger man and gave him a nod.

They continued to stare at each other, both just smiling sort of awkwardly before another yawn interrupted them. Trucy was still sitting on the couch watching them both lazily but with a knowing smile of her face. A wave of self-consciousness washed over Apollo and he turned around and made his way towards the door.

"Ahhh, well, I should go. Good night, I'll see you two tomorrow!"Apollo quickly fled the scene.

Apollo left Trucy and Phoenix in silence, Phoenix still pondering over the bracelet.

"Want some help Daddy?"

Phoenix jolted slightly as Trucy had moved right next to him.

"Here—see you just—"And she proceed to take the bracelet out of his hand and tie it around his left wrist. She seemed to know her stuff as she connected both strings at the end to each other in some odd way that was easily adjustable.

"There! Now you and Polly match!" She smiled as she tightened the bracelet slightly. "You both are wearing bracelets on your left wrist!"

She giggled before standing up and giving a large stretch.

"Good night Daddy! Sweet dreams and sleep tight!" She gave him a kiss on the head. "I love you, and don't stay up too late."

Phoenix mumbled a 'good night' and 'I love you too' back as he inspected his new attachment. He shook his wrist slightly and twisted it around to get a good view of the whole bracelet. It fit so perfectly onto his wrist he almost wondered why he hadn't ever worn anything on it before. Although, he was sure anything besides this bracelet Apollo made him would look as good or feel as good.

He got dressed that night for bed, carefully putting away his suit and throwing on his old jacket and sweats and leaving the bracelet safely attached.

* * *

A week had gone by and he had yet to remove Apollo's gift.

It was hard to tell, what with wearing a suit all day.

But once he came home and changed into something more casual, the bracelet would always slip out into the open and make itself known.

Every time Trucy noticed it she gave him a large smile, causing him to turn away slightly embarrassed.

A month had gone by and his accessory had stayed on him throughout it 24/7. It had become sort of like an item of comfort now, and he found himself playing with it whenever he was thinking or nervous or needed to reassure himself.

It really was nice…the way Apollo had braided it made it look really neat and he would find himself just tracing the pattern with his finger.

He had become so accustomed to it that most of the time he didn't even feel it and realize it was there (but when it was gone, for those few times he had taken it off for something so it wouldn't get too dirty, he had definitely noticed its lack of presence).

* * *

So on a day off when he was just relaxing in his casual clothes he noticed how Apollo had stopped and was looking at him.

Phoenix looked at the younger man and gave an odd glance back, teasing him.

"You…still have that?" Apollo questioned quietly as he vaguely gestured towards his wrist. Phoenix looked down and _yep, still there_.

"Yeah." Phoenix replied with the same inflection one would say 'duh'. "Why, did you think I'd throw it out?" He laughed to himself but as he looked at Apollo again the laugh died down.

"S-Sort of…" Apollo shrugged nonchalantly. Or attempted to, at least. "I thought you'd just put it away somewhere never to find again. Or throw it away."

"Apollo." Phoenix said, a bit of hurt entering his voice. "Why do you think I'd throw it out?"

"C-cuz…" Apollo grumbled out and looked to the carpet, kicking a prop out of the way. "It's a silly friendship bracelet."

"No." Was Phoenix only reply, but it was so blunt and sudden it made Apollo cringe. Phoenix felt a twinge of guilt at making the other squirm. He removed himself from the couch and moved to stand in front of Apollo. "Look, see?" He stood to the young lawyers left side slightly and placed their arms next to each other. "Bracelet buddies."

Phoenix gave a cheeky grin and Apollo held back a snort.

"That's…so lame." Apollo said but his voice cracked with laughter. Phoenix elbowed him in the side and threw his arm around his shoulders.

"You mean awesome."

Apollo bit his lip to keep his laughter in and Phoenix leaned in closer to him.

"Look…it was really sweet of you. I really like it. A lot." He tugged the smaller man by the shoulders into a half embrace. "I would never throw away a gift you gave me, even if I thought it was the dumbest gift on Earth." A moment passed and Apollo turned to give Phoenix an actually hug, which Phoenix returned without thought.

"Thank you."

Phoenix gave a 'hmmmm' and held Apollo tighter. Both expected the other to pull away shortly after, but when neither did, they found themselves just...staying like that. In an embrace.

Phoenix swallowed louder than he would have liked and cursed himself as he felt Apollo shift around in his arms. He could feel Apollo bring his hands lower onto his back, resting around his waist, and Phoenix gently nuzzled into the younger's hair.

Reluctantly Apollo pulled away and looked up at Phoenix. They were still close, and an odd thought sprung into Phoenix's head that if he just leaned down really quick he could steal a kiss—

"Thanks…bracelet buddy." Apollo teased.

"Any time bracelet buddy." Phoenix teased back.

* * *

'Bracelet Buddy' had started to affectionately become their new nickname for one another. When Trucy first heard it she gave a scoff and couldn't help but laugh and call them cute.

The bracelet was important enough to Phoenix that he actually started to show it off to people. It was in passing, normally, when it was a conversation about friends and he would throw in how his good friend Apollo made him this thing. A lot of the time people would chuckle at the act, but Phoenix would chuckle back and take it with pride. Phoenix just liked showing people things that were important to him (another reasons he kept the locket of Trucy so close and easy to access).

Yet he didn't realize that he started showing it off to people more than he would show off his badge, and with just as much vigor.

* * *

A month and a half later Apollo was frantically searching for evidence to shove into the prosecutors face and show him just how _not guilty_ his client was.

Their trial was interrupted, however, by an oddly dressed man shouting about a bomb that was going to detonate in less than ten minutes. Probably more like _five _minutes the person added with what Apollo would describe as masked glee.

Apollo felt his heart drop into his stomach and quickly thought how lucky that he didn't have any assistant with him today to worry about. He watched as everyone in the stands frantically raced for the exit; people were screaming and crying and practically running each other over. Apollo felt a quick wave of nausea hit as he watched people scramble over each other; they should be helping each other and not selfishly shoving each other out of the way. He glanced around to see the judge had safely left and the prosecutor was helping a few more civilians out.

_His client!_

He whipped his head around to see his client huddled in her chair. She looked like a frightened rabbit and he felt so sorry for her.

"Quick, c'mon, you have to get out of here." He told her calmly, but couldn't quite hide all the urgency in his voice. "We've only got a few minutes left, c'mon—"

She just whimpered before swallowing hard and starting to hyperventilate and _OhGod _he did not need to deal with her like this when he had about two minutes left to get her out.

He grabbed her and lifted her up princess style, much to his chagrin, and adjusted to the new weight.

"I'm sorry if this is uncomfortable but we _have to get out_."

Before he knew it she had his neck in a death grip, causing him to choke and stumble a bit. He continued on and into the lobby, noting that a few other people were still in here either due to shock at what was happening or trying to get others out.

A huge eruption took place behind him, the force of it causing him to falter and trip. Without thinking about it, he threw his client forward and a few feet away from him.

"RUN!" He shouted, his voice loud enough to cut through the panic she was sure to be feeling. He could feel the ground beneath him shaking and could already taste the dust and dirt on his tongue from the smoke in the air. Apollo saw her brain suddenly kick into action and she was out of there in a flash. He gave a relieved smile.

An ear piercing explosion took place barely three feet from him, sending him flying halfway across the room before he came into contact with the ground again and rolled over a few times. He felt his body slam into a wall and the yell of pain caught in his throat. He opened his eyes—eye, _ohGod eye, his eye_—and craned his neck to look around. He went to move but hissed in pain as his leg protested and noticed it was turned at an odd angle. There was smoke everywhere and cracks along the floor and chunks of the building falling down around him—

A loud crack was heard from above him. He held his breath.

The cracking noise continued followed by a groan of concrete and steel and wood all protesting the inevitable. Apollo just took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Gently placing his head down onto the cool tile of remaining floor, he tried to prepare for what was next. He couldn't stop himself from hoping and praying to anything that would listen to give him some kind of miracle, some kind of crazy turnabout that wouldn't result in him being fully-or-at-least-partially crushed.

The wall behind him let out another sickening crack, like the sound of a bone snapping.

Apollo quickly thought of all his friends and how he'd hoped he'd be able to see them again. He smiled at his dramatic train of thought but couldn't stop it from happening. Trucy, Ema, Klavier, Wocky, Phoenix…

At least Phoenix would have something to remember him by.

Apollo couldn't help the small chuckle that worked its way through him. It hurt, though—breathing in general hurt.

There was one last crack, one last bone snapping in the wall, and a wave of dread and regret and hopelessness took over and suddenly he felt like throwing the most childish of tantrums because _no_-

Apollo let out a strained whimper before feeling something slam into him and a bunch of small cracking noises made their way to his ears—

-and his world went dark.

* * *

It was an outer body sort of feeling except….inside his body.

It made sense to him and that's all he cared about.

Everything wasn't really…connecting as well as it should have. He tried to turn over but his body wasn't letting him. It didn't feel like his body; he had _control _over _his_ body and this body just…wasn't moving.

He tried to groan but _ouch_ breathing and _yuck_ what was that taste in his mouth—

He tried to spit it out but his body _really _wasn't cooperating because instead of spitting he just kind of….drooled.

He wiggled his body around as much as he could and felt himself suddenly lose a lot of weight somehow. He wanted to say he could breathe better without all that weight on top of him but _no _he was stilling _choking on air_ and wanted to just stop that bodily function for now so he didn't have to deal with that issue.

Opening his eyes—_eye_—he glanced around. Awww _fuck_ his eye, _his eye, his eye_—

It wasn't working.

_Okay._

He'll deal with that later. Right now, however, he had to remember where exactly he was…

_Oh yes_; he was in the courthouse.

He had had a trial earlier where he was about to show up the prosecution when suddenly a bomb went off. The thought that his client was safe hit him and he felt some kind of tension leave. Yet, he had still managed to be captured in the blast due to his client's delay in getting out.

Apollo really didn't get paid enough to put up with this shit.

Flopping onto his back he glanced up and out into the sky above him.

Huh.

He tried glancing around but didn't see anything of too much importance: there was rubble, more rubble, some smoke, no ceiling in this area of building, some blood…

Apollo followed the blood and came to the site of someone else crushed under some chunks of the building also. The only visible part of his body were his arms and hands.

The individual under there was wearing a navy blue suit, Apollo noted duly, just like Mr. Wright's…

Apollo felt the world stop and his entire being go cold and his mind screamed at him to stop being so observant to notice small things like the shade of a suit as he continued staring at the pair of arms.

Had…Had Phoenix been at court that day? He couldn't remember. He…he thinks he was? For something with the jury. Phoenix had been in the court house and ohno_ohnoohno_—

Apollo let out a pained mewl. It was all he could muster as he tried to think of how to get over there. It wasn't that far away, five feet at most, but five feet in his current condition felt like a fifty mile run.

He struggled at first, but found that shimmering on his back was the quickest way to get there.

He knew he was critically injured. His body should be screaming in protest and he shouldn't even be able to think straight with how much pain he should be in now. It scared him more that he couldn't feel _a thing_.

It helped, he supposed, that feeling nothing was good when he had to shimmy over to a maybe crushed friend with his half crushed body.

Finally he made it over and swallowed. Whatever was in his mouth hadn't completely left because when he swallowed it was thick and warm and wet and coppery and gritty and it made him shiver. Apollo realized, however, that swallowing instead of spitting this time wasn't that loving of a gesture as it left his entire throat and mouth feeling repulsive and whatever was in his mouth (blood, he assumed) sufficiently acted like a glue in keeping his mouth shut and his throat closed.

What if it really was Phoenix? Apollo didn't want to know and nononono it couldn't be his boss, his mentor, his friend, his bracelet buddy—

Wait.

Using his good half, Apollo flung his arm over and gripped onto the man's wrist and _fuck_ that was his right wrist he needed the left one. Nice job there with that he congratulated himself.

Embarrassing himself with how long it was taking, he finally gripped onto the left wrist and started to push the fabric up.

There wasn't a bracelet on there.

Apollo felt a wave of relief wash over him as a choked sob tried to escape his blood coated throat.

Flopping onto his back once more he felt _exhausted _and proceeded to close his eyes and let sleep take him.

* * *

Phoenix had heard the news of the court house bombing as he was relaxing with a cup of coffee at the local diner.

It didn't process right away and he actually chuckled and shrugged it off as some sort of prank or hallucination. However, when the images didn't go away and the news reporters became more emotionally involved rather than just spitting back words he knew.

He wasn't even sure he paid but he ran out of the diner faster than if he had actually been trying to get away with a dine n' dash.

Apollo had a trial today. He was defending one of Trucy's friends. Apollo had been in the court house when this bomb went off.

Phoenix's mind was going a mile a minute as he raced down block after block, the large cloud of smoke becoming larger and larger as he approached.

Once his body stopped racing his head did too; his mind couldn't even process what he was seeing when he arrived at the scene. He was totally blank of any and all thoughts as he saw people being rushed out, covered in dirt and blood while others were being escorted to ambulances.

"Apollo…" He called out weakly, head turning this way and that looking for a blaringly red suit that would automatically stick out and call his attention. "Apollo." He called out again only to have everyone ignore him, leaving him feeling like a child lost in a store calling out to their mother.  
Phoenix's gaze kept sweeping over the crowd in attempt to find someone, _anyone_, who could help him.

"Hey!"

Phoenix ran up to an officer, someone he's definitely seen before but can't remember the name. "H-hey, I'm looking for someone—"

"There are a lot of people here looking for someone sir." The man said without any hint of malice in his voice. "Can you be more specific?"

"Justice. Apollo Justice."

The officer's eyes widened and he nodded.

"Yes, he came out here not too long ago." Phoenix sighed, relieved. "He was taken away in the ambulance due to his critical condition. The only person we've seen worse off than him today—well, they were dead."

Phoenix felt his stomach drop.

"The hospital he was taken to is that way." The man pointed, practically reading Phoenix's thoughts. "I'll call you a cab—?"

"It's fine." Phoenix cut him off and turned in the direction he had been told. "Thank you."

* * *

It felt like Apollo was swimming.

He kept going and trying and pushing and pushing and he could see the light above the waves but his efforts only brought him so close. It was frustrating and the fact that he couldn't make it made him want to do it more.

After a while, the water felt lighter. The efforts he was putting in were working and he was getting closer to the surface.

As soon as he reached it he was surrounded by darkness. There was a breathy kind of noise, followed by a loud beeping. He found himself being dragged back into consciousness and it was painfully slow.

Apollo could feel something in his throat, something that shouldn't be there, and he brought a hand up to tug it out. At least, he would have it he could move.

A spark of panic started in him as he tried to move his feet and hands. His right side seemed to move pretty well, but he couldn't move his left. He…actually couldn't feel most of his body that well.

Apollo had to count to three to get his eye open, and as soon as he did he snapped it shut. It was so bright it actually hurt. He tried opening his eye again, this time slowly, and took in his surroundings. He was in a hospital, obviously, and he was in a room alone.

_Almost_ alone.

Apollo looked down to see Phoenix sitting in a chair, his upper half bent over onto the bed in an attempt to find a comfortable position to sleep. Had he been here the whole time Apollo was asleep? Just the sight of anyone would have made him feel better, but seeing Phoenix here brought Apollo unimaginable comfort. He tried to reach out (Phoenix was close enough that he could place his hand on his head) and touch the older man to wake him, but his left side wasn't working and it was too difficult to bring his right arm over.

Apollo opened his mouth to say something but choked on whatever was in his throat. He could feel something encompassing his mouth also and it suddenly hit him and he was thrown into a coughing fit.

That seemed to wake Phoenix, who snapped to attention and looked up at Apollo. He had to say that the older man looked _terrible_: his hair was a mess, his clothes were strewn and wrinkled, his eyes were bloodshot and red and there were bags under them, and he had just as much if not more stubble on his face than Apollo could ever remember.

The tense look on his face washed away and was replaced with one of pure relief.

"Apollo, Apollo—"Phoenix started, jumping out of his chair and leaning up and over the younger man. His hands were flailing about around him, unsure if he should touch Apollo or if that would be enough to break the man again. Apollo tried leaning forward but as soon as he did he felt jabs of pain all over and he jumped back. The look of pure joy on Phoenix's face was instantly replaced with one of concern and apprehension. The other lawyer pressed a button on Apollo's bed and anxiously glanced towards the door. "Don't worry, a nurse'll be here soon to help. Apollo, ohmyGod, Apollo I—"

A nurse burst through the door and shuffled over towards the two.

"Ahh, you're awake! I see it's time to take out that endotracheal tube. We had to intubate due to the condition of your lungs. They should have healed enough that we cake take it out. This will be uncomfortable for a moment." The nurse informed him as they removed the breath mask and worked the tube out of Apollo's throat. Apollo gagged and clenched his eyes shut; it felt like he was going to puke. "There there! All done. Just keep this on for a bit longer; you will have some trouble breathing for a while but you're strong enough to do it on your own now. This should still help though." They replaced the mask onto Apollo and the young man couldn't help but gasp for breathe. The nurse shushed him sweetly before they checked all the other machines around him. Phoenix just stood there watching and feeling pretty useless. "You seem to be doing well…we've given you enough pain killers to subdue the pain that's resulted from your 4 broken ribs, shattered arm, broken leg and sprained ankle, damaged eye, and all your internal bruising." Apollo did a double take. Was he really that injured? The list of injuries seemed ridiculous, but then he remembered that he had been caught in a bombing. So maybe it was _that _ridiculous. "We'll slowly take you off it though, but for now, enjoy. I'll give you two some time alone while I go grab a doctor." They smiled warmly at the both of them before taking down a few notes and exiting the room. Once they exited the room, the two lawyers were left alone in a tense silence.

Apollo was looking at Phoenix. It felt weird to only see out of one eye; he was trying not to think about it. Phoenix was looking at Apollo like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Apollo squirmed around under the other mans eyes. He tried to speak but it came out quite jumbled.

"No, no, just rest." Phoenix 'tsked' him although there wasn't much force behind it. "Your lungs are—they said that they're—but your throat is—So talking might be—"Phoenix tripped over all his words resulting in the whole explanation coming out in a jumble. Apollo laughed but it came out as more of a wheeze.

Phoenix must have realized how ridiculous he sounded and gave a sheepish smile. He sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to disturb the man in it too much.

"I…I'm glad you're okay." Phoenix said quietly as he placed a hand onto Apollo's. It felt odd when Apollo didn't feel the other mans touch, despite seeing the contact, but gave a nod. He noted that the older man was wearing his bracelet as always.

The observation struck up the memory his experience in the aftermath of the bomb and the man he had thought was the man before him. Apollo was so relieved that Phoenix was alright and he had to tell— he just had to tell him— about how that silly bracelet he was always wearing was a great way to identify him and how it had saved Apollo from thinking he was dead.

He opened his mouth to do just that but the words felt too tricky for his heavy tongue to form and all that came out was an excited gurgle. Phoenix raised an eyebrow at his efforts leaving Apollo frustrated. Using all the energy he had, he managed to flop his right arm over and placed his hand atop Phoenix's, fingers nimbly grabbing for the bracelet on his wrist. He _could _have tried to do that a tad bit more gracefully, much to his chagrin. He let out a growl and gripped onto the small plastic thing and gave it a tug.

Phoenix looked extremely surprised if not confused.

"Apollo?"

Apollo felt like that said everything, yet Phoenix was still looking at him like he'd grown another head. Apollo looked from the bracelet to Phoenix's eyes in an attempt to help get the point across.

"I'm not really sure…" Phoenix wasn't sure what to make of the sudden actions from Apollo. "You'll probably be able to talk properly in a few days. You should tell me then what this is all about."

Apollo deflated and sunk back into his pillows. He felt his hand slipping off of Phoenix's before it was held in placed. Looking up he saw that Phoenix was giving him some unreadable expression.

"You know, there's still a lot you can say without words." Phoenix started, letting his fingers trace random patterns onto Apollo's bandaged hand. Hesitating, Phoenix brought himself up farther on the bed and placed a hand to the side of Apollo's face. Turning his head carefully, Phoenix pressed closer until he was only a few inches away. He tilted his head a few degrees and closed his eyes. Apollo felt the mask push more into his face. He pulled away and looked at Apollo expectantly. What had he just done? He just—

It hit Apollo and he jumped, his eyes going wide as the older man let out a chuckle.

"I'm sure that would have been much more effective without your mask there." Phoenix smiled warmly. "Maybe I'll try that again when it's off."

Silence overtook them as Apollo still try to process the fact that Phoenix had kinda kissed him and insinuated that he'd like to do it again. There was pressure on his shoulder and he looked down to see that Phoenix was leaning against him.

"…That was lame, wasn't it." He stated, looking quite embarrassed, before tucking his head into the crook of Apollo's neck. "I hope this isn't hurting you. I was just…" He trailed off for a minute. "I was so scared you were dead." There was a lot of emotion behind that statement that Phoenix was trying to hide, but it managed to break through, and Apollo felt something inside him swell with emotion too.

He managed to bring his arm up and wrapped it around Phoenix's back. He gripped as hard as he could (which he was sure wasn't very hard considering his situation) and let his head rest on the others.

* * *

Apollo had been in and out of consciousness for the next couple of days. He would awake at random times of the day and night, most of the time confused about his circumstances. The only constant was that Phoenix was there.

And then one time…he wasn't.

It was would be an understatement to say that Apollo panicked. Frantically looking around the room, he propped himself up on his better arm and searched for any note or hint to where he was.

He felt his right wrist being slightly heavier than normal and finally looked at it.

Wrapped around it was a bracelet just like the one he had made Phoenix. It was a reflection of the one he had given the other lawyer, but with the color scheme being different of course. Apollo continued to stare at it.

The door opened and closed and he looked up from his staring contest to see an out of breath Mr. Wright hunched over trying to recover.

"S-sorry I wasn't here earlier." He managed to get out in between breath and hurried over toward the chair beside Apollo's bed. He took off his suit jacket and hung it around the chair before undoing his vest. "Do you need anything?"

Apollo could be cheesy and say _you_, but instead he opted out to lift up his wrist to show off his new accessory.

"Oh yeah. _That_." Phoenix scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "Truce had the idea that it was only fair I should make you one too. She said it's like a piece of me you'll always have around." Phoenix grinned sheepishly at that and settled into his seat. "It helped to keep me distracted while you were asleep too."

Apollo looked back down at it, wishing he could touch it but finding use of his other arm useless, before turning back to Phoenix.

"That's really sweet of you." Apollo smiled as he recalled the reaction he had been given when he'd bestowed the same gift upon the older man all that time ago. His voice was still quite hoarse, cracking often. "…It's really nice."

"Thanks. Trucy said I was a natural." Phoenix gloated eliciting a small, scratchy laugh out of Apollo.

"Another talent of yours, I suppose." Apollo added.

"I can't believe I became a lawyer when I have such a knack for accessory making." Phoenix smirked as he leaned on to the bed and reached over to grab Apollo's good hand. "I'm sure it would make more money than being a lawyer."

"Oh definitely." Apollo said without a second thought. Shyly, he gripped onto Phoenix's hand before intertwining their fingers. "Maybe you could run a side business."

"I'll look into it."

Phoenix was chuckling to himself as he propped his head up in his other hand and looked up at Apollo.

"Do you really like it?"

Surprised by the honesty of the question, Apollo nodded instantly.

"I like the colors and everything…you did a good job." Apollo gave a glance at the item before giving another nod. "I do really like it."

Phoenix seemed to relax at the statement and Apollo smiled. Leaning forward, he brought himself down and placed a small kiss to the others lips, making sure to linger for a moment. Whenever Phoenix was near it smelled like old books and mint and comfort and _home_ and that helped to make it feel less like an overly sterile hospital room_._ Sitting back in his bead he admired the flustered look on Phoenix's face.

"Thank you." Apollo said and meant it one hundred percent as he shook his wrist, and their hands, jingling the bracelet around. Just like Phoenix, he was never going to take it off. The morbid thought that one day someone—maybe even Phoenix—would be identifying his body by this bracelet entered into his mind. He shook the thought out of his head before looking into a pair of dark brown eyes. Phoenix was grinning at him. Apollo remembered when he first made those bracelets with Trucy on that day after school, feeling dumb when he later presented Phoenix with the one he had made specifically for him. Phoenix spoke up.

"Bracelet buddies."

"Bracelet buddies."

Phoenix squeezed his hand and leaned in to place another kiss to his lips before shimmying onto the bed. He leaned his head onto the injured mans shoulder, a position they had grown attached too, and Phoenix began to trace carefully along the bandages.

Apollo looked at the situation before him, all that that silly bracelet had brought about, and realized that he didn't feel so dumb anymore.


End file.
